Reporters sans frontières (RSF) has called on the government to allow the media unrestricted access to the trial of opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai. The organisation stressed that the trial should be carried out in the presence of independent observers and media representatives, regardless of their editorial stand.

African leaders recently came together to draw up an ambitious new African initiative for the 21st Century, that focuses on working to end the continent's many conflicts and building democratic, accountable government based on the rule of law. The initiative also recognises that democracy and stability are intimately linked to economic development, decent education and infrastructure. In “A Fresh Start for Africa?” Tanzanian journalist Adam Lusekelo asks how realistic is this initiative and how can it best be implemented? A Fresh start for Africa? will be broadcast on the BBC World Service from 20th February.

On 25 January 2003, photojournalist Hamis Hamad, who works for the daily "Uhuru" and weekly "Mzalendo" newspapers in Dar es Salaam, was reportedly assaulted by Kinondoni Municipal Council askaris (security guards).

It is normal for media to have different interpretations of topical issues, says the Media Monitoring Project Zimbabwe in relation to reporting by The Herald newspaper on the recent visit by James Morris, the UN special envoy for humanitarian needs in Southern Africa, to Zimbabwe. The end product of differing interpretations was editorial diversity, the cornerstone of press freedom, said the MMPZ. However, it was a serious violation of ethical journalistic practice to distort and misrepresent factual events and statements in order to reinforce a particular political position as The Herald had done.

Minister of Information and Publicity Jonathan Moyo has said that "The Daily News" newspaper and all its journalists are operating illegally because they are not registered with the Media and Information Commission.
Related Link:
*IFJ calls for end to Daily News persecution
http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php? id=13106

There may be a glimmer of hope for Zimbabwe's ever-growing list of victims of politically-motivated human rights abuses, the Zimbabwe Independent has learnt. The London-based Accountability Commission - Zimbabwe project, an organisation launched recently, has started to gather information on human rights violations with a view to setting up a special court to try perpetrators of violence. Rwanda and Sierra Leone have similar courts.
Related Link
* Tear-gas used to break up Zim meeting
http://www.africapulse.org/index.php?action=viewarticle&articleid=899

[email protected], previously known as Somali Civil Society News, is delivered by email every two weeks and is part of a project that aims for the achievement of permanent respect for human rights, justice through rule of law, pluralism, good governance and sustainable peace in Somalia and Somaliland. The name of the newsletter has been changed to [email protected] to ensure synergy between this newsletter and the one that is also produced periodically by the NOVIB Somalia project that is also known as KARTI. For more information on this project visit http://www.somali-civilsociety.org. The newsletter contains links to stories about the Horn of Africa region in various content categories. For free subscription send an email to [email protected]

Kenneth Gwabalanda Mathe, an official of Zimbabwe’s main opposition party, the Movement for Democratic Change, appeared at the Victoria Falls magistrate’s court, charged under section 12 (a) of the Public Order and Security Act, for having given comment to a daily newspaper.

To discover the real promise of online fundraising, we have to first start with the right vision of the craft of fundraising itself. As with all attempts to empower nonprofit practices with new technology, it's almost always a mistake to start with the technology itself. It is wiser to start with a pure understanding of the nonprofit practice that the technology is meant to serve. In this case, that means asking: What is fundraising?

In the book 'The digital divide in developing countries: towards an information society in Africa' the editors have brought together a selection of articles centred around the changing communications landscape and the digital divide in Africa. Some authors point at the possibilities of ICTs for Africa to become part of the global information society. Others are warning for too optimistic scenarios and are arguing that the way to go is long, difficult and problematic. In general this book is presenting an overview of the different discourses and scenarios linked to the information society in Africa.

A Cape Town doctor has dramatically helped the fight against tuberculosis (TB) by introducing a SMS service to remind patients to take their medication. Dr. David Green, a consultant in Managed Care, Disease Management and Information Systems, became so frustrated when his mother constantly forgot to take her medication for hypertension, that he started sending her SMS reminders -- and it worked. It did not take him long to make the connection between the effectiveness that his SMS messages had on alerting his mother, the high incidence of TB in Cape Town, and the possibilities that bulk SMS messages could present.

Two international news agencies, Reuters and Agence France Press, have obtained accreditation for their bureaux and news staff in Zimbabwe, after submitting the stipulated fees in US dollars to the Media and Information Commission. The American news agency Associated Press refused to do so and closed its bureau, although it retains two correspondents.

SA mail list IOZ has launched a new mail list for those interested in wi-fi. As it notes: "Regulatory restrictions on the use of wireless telecommunications in South Africa notwithstanding, the WiFi list advocates the development of wireless communities and the deployment of WiFi as a mechanism for the delivery of broadband services in both urban and rural areas". Its interest is focused on but not limited to South Africa. The IOZ.wifi mailing list is an open list; to subscribe, send mail to [email protected], with "subscribe wifi" in the body of your message. (Reposted from: Balancing Act News Update, http://balancingact-africa.com)

Two SABC journalists were allegedly assaulted and held captive by teachers at a school near Lomanyaneng, North West Province. The two radio journalists, Ms Lexi Herholdt and Ms Nthabiseng Makhongoana told the South African chapter of MISA that they were investigating a story of a school principal who refused to give learners reports because of non-payments of school fees.

Police picked up three journalists from the privately owned Monitor newspaper for questioning, in connection with a story the newspaper published in its October 18-21, 2002 edition. The story links Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa's brother, Harry Mwanawasa, to corruption.

Researchers in South Africa were astonished as rural youngsters quickly taught themselves how to operate their first computer without any formal instruction. Run by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research and supported by the Department of Science and Technology, the project was designed to find out whether rural South African children had the cognitive skills to understand computers without any formal training.

This paper explores the uses of satellite technology and its potential contribution to education, based on the premise that lack of technical infrastructure is severely hampering the potential use of ICTs for basic education in sub-saharan Africa. A total of 18 examples of satellites in education are explored and a list of providers in Africa is given.

Fanuel Jongwe, a senior journalist with the Daily News, was arrested last Friday together with five foreigners in the mining town of Zvishavane. The group was charged for practising journalism without licences.

A new database on the United Nations human rights treaty system includes easy-to-use organisation of all material of the UN human rights treaty system by state and the organisation of all material of the UN human rights treaty system by theme or subject matter.

Since the promulgation of the repressive Public Order and Security Act (POSA), the police have selectively used it to curtail the freedoms of the opposition and civil society through summary arrests, says the Media Monitoring Project Zimbabwe. Those arrested are usually taken to police stations unknown to their lawyers and families. Some have been assaulted and others even tortured. In most cases, the accused are either released without charge or have their cases dropped due to lack of evidence.